Arsenal delivered a stunning 5-1 victory over Manchester City, keeping their title hopes alive. However, defender Gabriel stirred controversy by celebrating in Haaland’s face after Arsenal’s early goal, a move Gary Neville criticized as “disrespectful.”
The bad blood between the two players dates back to September when Haaland threw a ball at Gabriel’s head during a heated encounter.
While Arsenal players may have felt justified in getting one back, Neville wasn’t impressed. “I didn’t like it. It made me feel uneasy,” he said on his Sky Sports podcast.
Despite the drama, Arsenal dominated the match. Thomas Partey restored their lead just moments after Haaland’s equalizer before Myles Lewis-Skelly, Kai Havertz, and Ethan Nwaneri sealed a humiliating defeat for City.
Lewis-Skelly even mimicked Haaland’s celebration, a moment Pep Guardiola brushed off with, “That’s good.”
Guardiola admitted his team fell apart late on. “I regret the last 25 minutes,” he said. “Before that, we were in the game.” But with City now trailing in the title race, Arsenal’s emphatic win could be a turning point in the season.
